Bandeirantes

The Bandeirantes (Brazilian Portuguese: [bɐ̃dejˈɾɐ̃t(ʃ)is]) were 17th-century Portuguese settlers in Brazil and fortune hunters. This group mostly hailed from the São Paulo region, which was known as the Captaincy of São Vicente until 1709 and then as the Captaincy of São Paulo. They led expeditions called bandeiras (Portuguese, "flags") which penetrated the interior of Brazil far west of the Tordesillas Line of 1494, which officially divided the Castilian, later Spanish, (west) domain from the Portuguese (east) domain in South America.[1]

The São Paulo settlement served as the home base for the most famous bandeirantes.[Note 1] Most bandeirantes were descendants of first- and second-generation Portuguese who settled in São Paulo,[2] but their numbers also included many people of mameluco background (people of both European and Indian ancestries). Though they originally aimed to capture and enslave Indians, the bandeirantes later began to focus their expeditions on finding gold, silver, and diamond mines. As they ventured into unmapped regions in search of profit and adventure, they expanded the effective borders of the Brazilian colony.

Expansion of the Brazilian territory

The main focus of the bandeirantes' earlier missions was to expand the territory.

Slavery

The main focus of the bandeirantes' earlier missions was to enslave native populations. They carried this out by disguising themselves as Jesuits, often singing Mass to lure the natives out of their settlements. However, they usually relied on surprise attacks. If luring the natives with promises did not work, the bandeirantes would surround the settlements and set them alight, forcing inhabitants out into the open. At a time when imported African slaves sold from $100–$500 the bandeirantes were able to sell large numbers of native slaves at a huge profit due to their relatively inexpensive price.

The first bandeira took place in 1628 and was organized by Antônio Raposo Tavares. This bandeira raided 21 Jesuit villages in the upper Paraná Valley, ultimately capturing about 2,500 natives. A bandeira tactic was to set native tribes against each other in order to weaken them, and then to enslave both sides.

In 1628, Tavares led a bandeira, composed of 2,000 allied Indians, 900 mamelucos, and 69 white Paulistas, to find precious metals and stones and to capture Indians for slavery. This expedition alone was responsible for the destruction of most of the Jesuit missions of Spanish Guayrá and the enslavement of over 60,000 indigenous people. Between 1648 and 1652 Tavares also led one of the longest known expeditions from São Paulo to the mouth of the Amazon river, investigating many of its tributaries, including the Rio Negro, ultimately covering a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers. The expedition travelled to AndeanQuito, part of the SpanishViceroyalty of Peru, and remained there for a short time in 1651. Of the 1,200 men who left São Paulo, only 60 reached their final destination in Belém.

Gold hunting

In addition to capturing natives as slaves, bandeiras also helped to extend the power of Portugal by expanding its control over the Brazilian interior. Along with the exploration and settlement of this territory the bandeiras also discovered mineral wealth for the Portuguese, which they had been previously unable to profit from.

In the 1660s, the Portuguese government offered rewards to those who discovered gold and silver deposits in inner Brazil. So the bandeirantes, driven by profit, ventured into the depths of Brazil not only to enslave natives, but also to find mines and receive government rewards. As the number of natives diminished, the bandeirantes began to focus more intensely on finding minerals.

In spite of their ignorance of geography, a science unknown to the Paulistas of olden times, and with only the help of the sun, they penetrated the interior of the Americas, conquering tribes. Some went to the hinterland of Goias, as far as the Amazon river; others went all the way to the coast from the river Patos until the river Plate and as far as the rivers Uruguay and Tibagi; and going upstream along the Paraguay river as far as the Paraná [...] some crossed the vast hinterland beyond the Paraguay river all the way to the high mountains of the kingdom of Peru. The Paulistas had to fight against their enemies and against nature: in respect of the latter they had to battle against the weather and in respect of the former they had to battle against wrath and hate. The lack of supplies could have driven them to despair had it not been that they were used to eating the fruits of the hinterland: wild honey, wild nuts, sweet and bitter palmitos, and the roots of edible plants. (Pedro Taques de Almeida Paes Leme)[3]

However, a new breed of men was growing, wild, yes, and ungovernable, but one in whom the infusion of native American blood would soon result in a relentless increase in action and achievement. So while the Spaniards in Paraguay stayed where Irala had placed them, mostly treating with indifference the discoveries which the first Conquistadores had made, the Brazilians continued for two centuries to explore the country. These determined adventurers would spend months and months in the wild hunting slaves and looking for gold and silver, guided by what they had learnt from the native Americans. Eventually they managed to secure for themselves and the House of Braganza the richest mines and the largest territory in South America This acquisition was of all the inhabited earth the most beautiful part. (Robert Southey, 1819)[4]

Alagoa is a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In 2004 its population was estimated to be 2,823.

Alagoa was founded on 28 December 1962.

Turned into a municipality in 1962, the village of Alagoa was born by the Bandeirantes in the 18th Century. It was part of the "Royal Road" to move gold and precious gems (including diamonds) from the State of Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo sea ports.

The municipality contains 5.38% of the 22,917 hectares (56,630 acres) Serra do Papagaio State Park, created in 1998.

On top of the Mantiqueira (The Crying Mountain, in the local Indians language) mountain range, it contains part of the most important remains of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and fresh water drained from the mountains to the State of Minas Gerais valleys.

The Brazilian Gold Rush was a gold rush that started in the 1690s, in the then Portuguese colony of Brazil in the Portuguese Empire. The gold rush opened up the major gold-producing area of Ouro Preto (Portuguese for black gold), then the aptly named Vila Rica (Rich Town). Eventually, the Brazilian Gold Rush created the world's longest gold rush period and the largest gold mines in South America.

The rush began when bandeirantes discovered large gold deposits in the mountains of Minas Gerais. The bandeirantes were adventurers who organized themselves into small groups to explore the interior of Brazil. Many bandeirantes were of mixed indigenous and European background who adopted the ways of the natives, which permitted them to survive in the interior rain forest. While the bandeirantes searched for indigenous captives, they also searched for mineral wealth, which led to the gold being discovered.

More than 400,000 Portuguese and half a million African slaves came to the gold region to mine. Many people abandoned the sugar plantations and towns in the northeast coast to go to the gold region. By 1725, half the population of Brazil was living in southeastern Brazil.

Officially, 850 tons of gold were sent to Portugal in the 18th century. Other gold circulated illegally, and still other gold remained in the colony to adorn churches and for other uses.The municipality became the most populous city of Latin America, counting on about 40 thousand people in 1730 and, decades after, 80 thousand. At that time, the population of New York was less than half of that number of inhabitants and the population of São Paulo did not surpass 8 thousand.Minas Gerais was the gold mining center of Brazil. Slave labor was generally used for the workforce. The discovery of gold in the area caused a huge influx of European immigrants and The government decided to bring in bureaucrats from Portugal to control operations. They set up numerous bureaucracies, often with conflicting duties and jurisdictions. The officials generally proved unequal to the task of controlling this highly lucrative industry. In 1830, the St. John d'el Rey Mining Company, controlled by the British, opened the largest gold mine in Latin America. The British brought in modern management techniques and engineering expertise. Located in Nova Lima, the mine produced ore for 125 years.

The Federação de Bandeirantes do Brasil (FBB, Girl Guide Federation of Brazil) is the national Guiding organization of Brazil. It serves 6,201 members as of 2003. Founded in 1919, the coeducational organization became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1930.

Floribella is a soap opera that was produced in Brazil, Portugal and Chile. Each of those countries had their own cast, but the show had exactly the same name. Although they had the same name, all of them came from the first and original Argentine soap opera called Floricienta, created by Cris Morena.

Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação (commonly referred only as Grupo Bandeirantes) is a Brazilian media conglomerate founded on the creation of the first group communication vehicle, Rádio Bandeirantes, on May 6, 1937.

Mogi das Cruzes (Portuguese pronunciation: [moˈʒi] or [muˈʒi ðɐs ˈkɾuzis]) is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, located within the metropolitan region of the state capital of the city of São Paulo. The population is 424,633 (2015 est.) in an area of 713 km². It is located 40 km to the east of the city of São Paulo. It was founded in 1560 by the bandeirantes.

Nova Bandeirantes is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso in the Central-West Region of Brazil.The municipality contains part of the 19,582 square kilometres (7,561 sq mi) Juruena National Park, one of the largest conservation units in Brazil.

Palácio dos Bandeirantes is a palace in São Paulo, Brazil. It is the seat of the São Paulo state government and the governor's official residence. The palace, located at the Morumbi district, also houses some secretaries and a wide historical and artistic exhibition open to the public.

Recreio dos Bandeirantes (or simply Recreio) is both the name of a beach and neighborhood in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a recent development, with no skyscrapers, and the area also contains jungles atop rocky cliffs and hills. High waves permit surfing at Recreio Beach and the white sand beach is used by beach volleyball players. It is about 35 km from the Rio de Janeiro city centre, and most of the people living there are middle-class and high middle-class families, who moved in trying to escape the growing violence of both the North and South Zones.Apocryphally, the neighborhood received the name Recreio dos Bandeirantes, or "Bandeirantes' Leisure" because the company that mapped and hired a real estate agent to sell lots there had that name. Another version says that many of the newcomers were from São Paulo, the city from which the Bandeiras departed in colonial times, and therefore Paulistas are associated with them. Still another version states that Recreio was the first (or last) resting place with fresh water for Bandeirantes traveling between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Development in the area began in 1959, and only more recently, have well-to-do residents discovered and made Recreio their home. It does not have the hustle and bustle of bohemic Lapa, Copacabana, Leblon, and Ipanema, but there has been an increase in the number of restaurants, pizzerias, bars, private schools and colleges. There are a few favelas, or slums, in the section. However, the Taxas Canal is often polluted by slum residents through trash dumping. Recreio has an organized association of residents who communicate online with tips and news about the neighborhood. They have been able to address the need for the city building a ciclovia—a road for bicycles—and authorities have been persuaded to build, in the future, two subway stations in the section to facilitate commuting to downtown and the South Side (which would otherwise take about 1.5 h).

Rede Bandeirantes (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁedʒi bɐ̃dejˈɾɐ̃tʃis], Bandeirantes Network), or simply Band, is a television network from Brazil, based in São Paulo. Part of the Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação, it aired for the first time in 1967. Currently, is the fourth TV network in Brazil by the ratings.

Rodovia Bandeirantes (official designation SP-348) is a highway in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Once the traffic capacity of Anhangüera Highway was exceeded in the 1960s, the state government decided to build another highway, with a much higher capacity and modern design, directly connecting São Paulo City to Jundiaí, Campinas and merging into the Anhangüera just after Campinas. Among the first six-lane highways in Brazil, it opened to traffic in 1978.

It has always been a toll road, and since 1998, the highway is managed by a state contract with a private company, AutoBan.

Subsequently, in 2001 it was extended to Santa Bárbara d'Oeste merging with the Washington Luis Highway, to Rio Claro, São Carlos, Araraquara and São José do Rio Preto. In 2006, it was widened to 4 lanes each way between São Paulo and Jundiaí. It is today the major thoroughfare between several mighty industrial cities around São Paulo and Campinas, and the Viracopos Airport, the second busiest cargo airport in the country.The highway is named after the bandeirantes, audacious explorers of the Brazilian hinterlands in the 16th and 17th centuries, whose treks through the rain forests become the templates for the major thoroughfares of the São Paulo highway system.

The tower is privately owned by Brazilian television network Rede Bandeirantes and is not accessible to the public. It was completed in 1997 and it is one of the tallest freestanding towers in South America.Illuminated with light emitting diodes (LED) since 2011, the Bandeirantes Tower can be seen on the horizon at night from a large section of the city.The Bandeirantes Tower was the tallest structure in São Paulo until 2006, when the Rede Globo tower was completed at Alameda Santos, 680.

Transportes Aéreos Bandeirantes (TABA) was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. In 1950 it was incorporated by Lóide Aéreo Nacional.

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